Academics push for return to community birthing

Academics push for return to community birthing

The Northern Territory Health Minister won’t be drawn on whether a successful midwifery plan used in north Queensland could be applied in the Territory.

The program detailed in last week’s Medical Journal of Australia allows women from Mareeba with low risk pregnancies to give birth in the town while high risk patients are sent on to Cairns.

Charles Darwin University’s Sue Kildae says a similar set-up could be sustainable in the Territory’s larger Indigenous communities.

Health Minister Chris Burns says a review of Territory maternity services is about to be tabled and he won’t consider the plan until he has seen the review’s recommendations.

“I should be handed that report in the very near future and we’ll be moving on the recommendations of that report, so it’s a bit too early to pre-empt the findings and recommendations of that report.

“But certainly, they’ve had a good look at our maternity services and compared it to maternity services elsewhere and I’m looking forward to the results of that review.”

Lesley Barclay, the chair of the Health Services Development at the university and one of the review’s reference team, is hoping the report leads to a return to birthing in towns and communities.

She says women in remote communities and towns are needlessly travelling to Darwin to give birth in case of complications.

“Something that most white Australian women and other Australian women couldn’t conceive of any more to give birth to a child by yourself with someone unfamiliar providing care for you is no longer acceptable in Australia’s maternity care, but it’s still happening to remote indigenous women.”